Dustin James' NFL Draft Guide: 7th Edition

It's officially draft season here at the Ultimate Football Blog and here is all the information you need to keep you up-to-date on all the latest happenings in the NFL.......

The Ultimate Football Blog: 

NFL Draft Guide

7th Edition

Final List Of Underclassmen Who Have Declared For The Draft:

-Nelson Agholor: WR (USC)
-Jay Ayaji: RB (Boise State)
-Kwon Alexander: LB (LSU)
-Javorius Allen: RB (USC)
-Arik Armstead: DE (Oregon)

-Delon Barnes: DE (Penn State)
-Malcolm Brown: DT (Texas)
-Alex Carter: CB (Stanford)
-Sammie Coates: WR (Auburn)
-Tevin Coleman: RB (Indiana)
-Jalen Collins: CB (LSU)
-Landon Collins: S (Alabama)
-Amari Cooper: WR (Alabama)
-Xavier Cooper: DE (Washington State)
-Christian Covington: DT (Rice)
-Ronald Darby: CB (Florida State)
-Mike Davis: RB (South Carolina)
-Stefon Diggs: WR (Maryland)
-Lorenzo Doss: CB (Tulane)
-Lemar Durant: WR (Simon Fraser)
-Mario Edwards Jr.: DE (Florida State)
-Durrell Eskridge: FS (Syracuse)
-George Farmer: WR (USC)
-Ereck Flowers: OT (Miami)
-Dante Fowler: DE (Florida)
-Devin Funchess: WR/TE (Michigan)
-Jacoby Glenn: CB (Central Florida)
-Eddie Goldman: DT (Florida State)
-Melvin Gordon: RB (Wisconsin)
-Dorial Green-Beckham: WR (Oklahoma)
-Deontay Greenberry: WR (Houston)
-Randy Gregory: DE (Nebraska)
-Todd Gurley: RB (Georgia)
-Chris Hackett: S (TCU)
-Eli Harold: DE (Virginia)
-Chris Harper: WR (California)
-Dee Hart: RB (Colorado State)
-Braylon Heard: RB (Kentucky)
-Gerod Holliman: S (Louisville)
-D.J. Humphries: OT (Florida)
-Brett Hundley: QB (UCLA)
-Danielle Hunter: DE (LSU)
-David Irving: DT (Iowa State)
-Jesse James: TE (Penn State)
-Duke Johnson: RB (Miami)
-Matt Jones: RB (Florida)
-Nigel King: WR (Kansas)
-Tyler Kroft: TE (Rutgers)
-Marcus Mariota: QB (Oregon)
-Ellis McCarthy: DT (UCLA)
-Benardrick McKinney: OLB (Mississippi State)
-Patrick Miller: OT (Auburn)
-Tyler Moore: G (Florida)
-Rakeem Nunez-Roches: DT (Southern Mississippi)
-Andrus Peat: OT (Stanford)
-Breshad Perriman: WR (Central Florida)
-Marcus Peters: CB (Washington)
-Jordan Phillips: DT (Oklahoma)
-Darius Philon: DT (Arkansas)
-Bradley Pinion: P (Clemson)
-Jeremiah Poutasi: OT (Utah)
-Shane Ray: DE (Missouri)
-Josh Robinson: RB (Mississippi State)
-Shaq Roland: WR (South Carolina)
-James Sample: S (Louisville)
-Jeff Sifrin: TE (UMass)
-Noah Spence: DE (Ohio State)
-Donovan Smith: OT (Penn State)
-Jaelen Strong: WR (Arizona State)
-Shaq Thompson: LB (Washington)
-Max Valles: LB (Virginia)
-Trae Waynes: CB (Michigan State)
-Leonard Williams: DL (USC)
-Maxx Williams: TE (Minnesota)
-P.J. Williams: CB (Florida State)
-Trey Williams: RB (Texas A&M)
-Jameis Winston: QB (Florida State)
-T.J. Yeldon: RB (Alabama)

Final NFL Draft Order:

This is the final order for the NFL Draft that will be held this Spring)

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

2. Tennessee Titans 

3. Jacksonville Jaguars 

4. Oakland Raiders

5. Washington Redskins

6. New York Jets

7. Chicago Bears

8. Atlanta Falcons

9. New York Giants

10. St. Louis Rams

11. Minnesota Vikings

12. Cleveland Browns

13. New Orleans Saints

14. Miami Dolphins

15. San Francisco 49ers

16. Houston Texans

17. San Diego Chargers

18. Kansas City Chiefs

19. Cleveland Browns (from Buffalo)

20. Philadelphia Eagles

21. Cincinnati Bengals

22. Pittsburgh Steelers

23. Detroit Lions

24. Arizona Cardinals

25. Carolina Panthers

26. Baltimore Ravens

27. Dallas Cowboys

28. Denver Broncos

29. Indianapolis Colts

30. Green Bay Packers

31. New England Patriots

32. Seattle Seahawks

It's Mock Draft Time!

(In this space, you will find a full blown mock draft. For the time being, I will be featuring an expert's mock draft until the end of the football season when mine will be officially released. Contain your excitement.....)

This week's mock draft is brought to you by the fine folks over at Walter Football:


(PLEASE NOTE: This is not MY mock draft. I haven't officially released my mock draft yet and won't until after the scouting combine in February. I know. My mock draft has been more on point than ESPN's own draft guru Mel Kiper, so I know you people are excited for it....but you must wait!)

1. Tampa Bay Bucccaneers: Jameis Winston - QB (Florida State)

2. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota - QB (Oregon)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Williams - DE (USC)

4. Oakland Raiders: Randy Gregory - DE (Nebraska)

5. Washington Redskins: Shane Ray - DE (Missouri)

6. New York Jets: Amari Cooper - WR (Alabama)

7. Chicago Bears: Landon Collins - SS (Alabama)

8. Atlanta Falcons: Dante Fowler - DE (Florida)

9. New York Giants: Ereck Flowers - OT (Miami, FL)

10. St. Louis Rams: Andrus Peat - OT (Stanford)

11. Minnesota Vikings: Brandon Scherff - OT (Iowa)

12. Cleveland Browns: Danny Shelton - DT (Washington)

13. New Orleans Saints: P.J. Williams - CB (Florida State)

14. Miami Dolphins: Kevin White - WR (West Virginia)

15. San Francisco 49ers - Devante Parker - WR (Louisville)

16. Houston Texans: Todd Gurley - RB (Georgia)

17. San Diego Chargers: Melvin Gordon - RB (Wisconsin)

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Erik Kendricks - LB (UCLA)

19. Cleveland Browns: T.J. Clemmings - OT (Pittsburgh)

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Trae Waynes - CB (Michigan State)

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Alvin Dupree - DE (Kentucky)

22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kevin Johnson - CB (Wake Forest)

23. Detroit Lions: Eddie Goldman - DT (Florida State)

24. Arizona Cardinals: Vic Beasley - DE (Clemson)

25. Carolina Panthers: La'El Collins - OT (LSU)

26. Baltimore Ravens: Ronald Darby - CB (Florida State)

27. Dallas Cowboys: Markus Golden - DE (Missouri)

28. Denver Broncos: Cameron Erving - OT (Florida State)

29. Indianapolis Colts: Eli Harold - DE (Virginia)

30. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Phillips - DT (Oklahoma)

31. New England Patriots: Devin Smith - WR (Ohio State)

32. Seattle Seahawks: Sammie Coates - WR (Auburn)

In the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft, you will see a certain selected prospect a week here (mainly the top recruits in the draft) with my personal scouting report on that prospect. I took professional scouting classes at the Scouting Academy, so this is my way of giving back.....

This week's prospect:

Jameis Winston (QB, Florida State)

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 230 pounds

Strenghts: Has tons of confidence. Has the ability to anticipate route breaks from his receiver. Fantastic arm strength. On-point accuracy, especially on deep throws. Most "pro ready" QB in draft. 

Weaknesses: Very immature. Ball release is a tad slow and needs to be quickened. Questionable decision-making skills. Turnover prone. Needs to work on his pocket presence. 

Pro Comparision: Ben Roethlisberger

Brief Synopsis: Jameis Winston is far and away the most "pro ready" quarterback in this year's NFL Draft. If I was a team that desperately needed a QB who could come in and start right away, Winston is probably the safest bet for that to happen. While Winston is nowhere near a "safe" pick in the form of an Andrew Luck, he has the look and feel of a guy who can play quarterback in the league for sometime. Most of the concerns surrounding Winston are almost all off-the-field problems. Winston is a fine player on the field. He has a few things he needs to work on in order to guarantee long-term success in the NFL (mainly his decision-making skills and his intelligence on-the-field), but like I said, most everyone I've heard talk about Winston is more afraid of how much more immature he will become once he actually gets money and even more fame than he has now. Most of the time, when you get an immature college kid and hand him a bunch of money and fame, things just get worse. Winston is going to need a mentor-type and a team that isn't falling apart internally if he has any hope of making it in the NFL. I think Winston will have a fine NFL career as long as he goes to a team that has a good head coach and a fan base that isn't ready to tear him apart after every mistake he makes, because he's going to make them. Give this kid sometime and you will likely see a franchise QB evolve.

-The 2015 Senior Bowl was this weekend. For many, the Senior Bowl is the last chance for certain guys to impress NFL scouts before the combine and the draft starts in spring. Bleacher Report's Dan Hope was on hand all week and here are some of his notes:

*Oregon State cornerback Steven Nelson had a huge week. The 5'10" 199-pound CB shut people down all-week, namely potential first-round pick Sammie Coates. His size is a detriment to his NFL career, but Nelson likely will get drafted between the 3rd and 5th rounds after impressing scouts this week.

*It's a bad year for team's looking for QB's that don't have a top pick in the draft. All the QB's at the Senior Bowl struggled. Bryce Petty, Sean Mannion, Bryan Bennett, Blake Sims, Shane Carden, and Garrett Grayson all combined for just 39 of 70 passing attempts for 520 yards, 1 TD, and 3 interceptions. Out of all those players though, Grayson was actually named the top practice performer at the QB position and could find himself going somewhere in the fourth of fifth round of the draft. All the other guys find themselves in grave danger of not being drafted. After Mariota, Winston, and UCLA's Brett Hundley (who is far away talent-wise himself from Mariota and Winston), there isnt' a whole lot of talent in the QB class to get excited about this year.


-There was a ton of talk this week surrounding rumors that the Philadelphia Eagles were looking to potentially trade-up and draft quarterback Marcus Mariota. I can guarantee you that we will constantly hear about these rumors all up until the actual draft starts in April. It only makes sense. The Eagles are a team that is looking for a QB (Nick Foles isn't a franchise QB and if you think he his, stop trying to evaluate QB's). If Chip Kelly (who is a GREAT football talent evaluator by the way....) thinks Marcus Mariota is the perfect guy to run his system in the NFL and that Mariota will be able to do it, why wouldn't Kelly trade multiple draft picks to get him? You know how many current NFL head coaches would DIE to get their perfect ideal QB on their hands? All of them. Every single last one of them. Coaches are constantly fired in the NFL because of bad QB play (Marc Trestman anyone?), so if Chip thinks he found his savior in Philly....there shouldn't be any price that's too expensive. Some people would disagree, but they would also be wrong. There's no price that's too high to pay for a franchise guy.  

The 1st Annual Toilet Bowlers

This weekend is Pro Bowl week in the NFL. Well, we here at the Ultimate Football Blog are sick and tired of only the "good" football players getting all the recognition at the end of the season. What about the guys who completely sucked this year? Where is the love for them? Where is their award show?

It's right here people. The Ultimate Football Blog is proud to announce the very first "TOILET BOWLERS" awards! While these guys were probably about as far away from making the Pro Bowl as possible, they still have a place in my heart for the utter garbage they showcased on the football field this year. We don't discriminate here at TUFB. We believe the shitty guys should get just as much as attention (if not more) than the good football players. They are likely the reason their respective teams suck (you will see that there are NO members of either team playing in the Super Bowl on this list), and they should either be cut or given a fair warning this off-season.

Anyways, to give you guys an idea of just how bad some of these guys were this season, I'm using ProFootballFocus.com's grades (by far THE best website for getting specific grades on each football player's individual performances on the field) to make things easier. If you aren't familiar with how PFF's grades work, it's actually really simple. It's basically just a simple +/- system. If a player is really good, they will have a high + number (for example, J.J. Watt finished the season with a PFF grade of +107.5 which is completely freaking ridiculous), and if a player is really bad, they will have a - grade (most of the guys on this list will have a negative grade of course.....). Got it? Understand it all or did I lose you somewhere? Oh well, there's pictures coming up and I'm sure I'll get your attention back then.

So without any further adieu......

Ladies and gents...........

Here is..............

(PS: I didn't do any kickers or punters because no one cares about kickers or punters....)

OK, sorry about that.............

For reals now.............

The 2014-15 NFL Toilet Bowlers

The Offense:

Quarterback:

Starter:

Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears)

Passing Yards: 3,812

TD's: 28

Interceptions: 18

ProFootballFocus Grade: -17.0

Backup Quarterback:

Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers)

Passing Yards: 3,369

TD's: 19

Interceptions: 10

ProFootballFocus Grade: -10.2

Running Back:

Starter:

LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles)

Rushing Yards: 1,323

TD's: 5

Yards Per Rushing Attempt: 4.2

ProFootballFocus Grade: -9.3

Backup Running Back:

Matt Asiata (Minnesota Vikings)

Rushing Yards: 570

TD's: 9

Yards Per Rushing Attempt: 3.5

ProFootballFocus Grade: -10.0

Wide Receiver:

Starter:

Riley Cooper (Philadelphia Eagles)

Receiving Yards: 573

TD's: 3

Receptions: 55

Percentage Of Balls Caught That Are Thrown His Way: 60.4%

ProFootballFocus Grade: -12.7

Starter #2:

Roddy White (Atlanta Falcons)

Receiving Yards: 921

TD's: 7

Receptions: 80

Percentage Of Balls Caught That Are Thrown His Way: 65.6%

ProFootballFocus Grade: -10.4

Starter #3:

Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts)

Receiving Yards: 779

TD's: 2

Receptions: 64

Percentage Of Balls Caught That Are Thrown His Way: 58.2%

ProFootballFocus Grade: -10.3

Backup Wide Receiver #1

Allen Hurns (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Receiving Yards: 677

TD's: 6

Receptions: 51

Percentage Of Balls Caught That Are Thrown His Way: 56.0%

ProFootballFocus Grade: -9.8

Backup Wide Receiver #2:

Brian Hartline (Miami Dolphins)

Receiving Yards: 477

TD's: 2

Receptions: 39

Percentage Of Balls Caught That Are Thrown His Way: 62.9%

ProFootballFocus Grade: -9.5

Tight End:

Starter #1:

Jeff Cumberland (New York Jets)

Receiving Yards: 247

TD's: 3

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -14.8

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -4.7

ProFootballFocus Grade: -26.3

Starter #2

Mychal Rivera (Oakland Raiders)

Receiving Yards: 528

TD's: 4

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -17.3

ProFootballlFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -0.3

ProFootballFocus Grade: -25.1

Backup Tight End:

John Carlson (Arizona Cardinals)

Receiving Yards: 350

TD's: 1

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -13.6

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -3.3

ProFootballFocus Grade: -25.0

Offensive Line:

Starting Center:

Scott Wells (St. Louis Rams)

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -9.0

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -18.7

# of QB Hurries Allowed: 23

# of QB Sacks Allowed: 1

ProFootball Focus Grade: -29.7

Backup Center:

Lyle Sendlein (Arizona Cardinals)

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -14.0

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -15.2

# of QB Hurries Allowed: 17

# of QB Sacks Allowed: 1

ProFootball Focus Grade: -29.1

Starting Left Guard:

Mike McGlynn (Kansas City Chiefs)

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -17.7

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -12.2

# of QB Hurries Allowed: 18

# of QB Sacks Allowed: 6

ProFootball Focus Grade: -32.6

Starting Right Guard:

Erik Pears (Buffalo Bills)

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -11.5

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -15.1

# of QB Hurries Allowed: 23

# of QB Sacks Allowed: 4

ProFootball Focus Grade: -25.0

Backup Guard:

Davin Joseph (St. Louis Rams)

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -9.9

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -13.7

# of QB Hurries Allowed: 19

# of QB Sacks Allowed: 5

ProFootball Focus Grade: -24.6

Starting Right Tackle:

Seantrel Henderson (Buffalo Bills)

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -19.4

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -11.8

# of QB Hurries Allowed: 28

# of QB Sacks Allowed: 6

ProFootball Focus Grade: -29.9

Starting Left Tackle:

Jake Matthews (Atlanta Falcons)

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -19.5

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -19.1

# of QB Hurries Allowed: 35

# of QB Sacks Allowed: 7

ProFootball Focus Grade: -36.8

Backup Offensive Tackle:

Byron Bell (Carolina Panthers)

ProFootballFocus Run Blocking Grade: -10.4

ProFootballFocus Pass Blocking Grade: -23.1

# of QB Hurries Allowed: 38

# of QB Sacks Allowed: 9

ProFootball Focus Grade: -33.4

The Defense:

(Editor's Note: This is a 4-3 defense)

Defensive Line:

Starting Defensive End:

Robert Geathers (Cincinnati Bengals)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -25.2

PFF Run Defense Grade: -2.7

PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -0.5

PFF Grade: -27.4

Starting Defensive End:

Chris Clemons (Jacksonville Jaguars)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -7.8

PFF Run Defense Grade: -8.1

PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 0.5

PFF Grade: -18.4

Backup Defensive End:

Mathias Kiwanukah (New York Giants)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -8.4

PFF Run Defense Grade: -9.4

PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -0.5

PFF Grade: -18.3

Starting Defensive Tackle:

Nick Hayden (Dallas Cowboys)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -10.3

PFF Run Defense Grade: -15.3

PFF Grade: -23.8

Starting Defensive Tackle:

Domata Peko (Cincinnati Bengals)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -12.2

PFF Run Defense Grade: -11.5

PFF Grade: -23.3

Backup Defensive Tackle:

Akeem Spence (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -2.0

PFF Run Defense Grade: -14.9

PFF Grade: -18.2

Linebackers:

Starting Outside Linebacker:

Emmanuel Lamur (Cincinnati Bengals)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -3.5

PFF Run Defense Grade: -6.7

PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -3.6

PFF Grade: -12.5

Starting Outside Linebacker:

Chad Greenway (Minnesota Vikings)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: 0.2

PFF Run Defense Grade: -7.1

PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -6.4

PFF Grade: -12.2

Backup Outside Linebacker:

Sio Moore (Oakland Raiders)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: 2.6

PFF Run Defense Grade: -0.9

PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -4.2

PFF Grade: -4.4

Starting Inside Linebacker:

Miles Burris (Oakland Raiders)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -3.7

PFF Run Defense Grade: -23.2

PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -16.9

PFF Grade: -42.2

Backup Inside Linebacker:

Paul Worrilow (Atlanta Falcons)

ProFootballFocus Pass Rushing Grade: -2.4

PFF Run Defense Grade: -9.0

PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -12.2

PFF Grade: -22.0

Secondary:

Starting Cornerback:

David Amerson (Washington Redskins)

Number of Yards Gained Against Player: 877

Number of TD's Given Up: 10

Percentage of Receptions Completed Against Player: 73.6%

ProFootballFocus Pass Coverage Grade: -15.5

PFF Grade: -20.2

Starting Cornerback:

Kyle Fuller (Chicago Bears)

Number of Yards Gained Against Player: 841

Number of TD's Given Up: 5

Percentage of Receptions Completed Against Player: 63.4%

ProFootballFocus Pass Coverage Grade: -17.2

PFF Grade: -18.4

Backup Cornerback:

Corey White (New Orleans Saints)

Number of Yards Gained Against Player: 703

Number of TD's Given Up: 4

Percentage of Receptions Completed Against Player: 68.2%

ProFootballFocus Pass Coverage Grade: -17.9

PFF Grade: -17.8

Starting Safety:

Ryan Clark (Washington Redskins)

ProFootballFocus Pass Coverage Grade: -4.2

ProFootballFocus Run Defense Grade: -13.3

PFF Grade: -20.7

Starting Safety:

Dashon Goldson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

ProFootballFocus Pass Coverage Grade: -14.5

ProFootballFocus Run Defense Grade: -7.1

PFF Grade: -20.0

Backup Safety:

Kenny Vaccaro (New Orleans Saints)

ProFootballFocus Pass Coverage Grade: -6.6

ProFootballFocus Run Defense Grade: -5.4

PFF Grade: -19.0

And there we have it! The first annual Ultimate Football Blog's Toilet Bowlers are in the books and now we must all hope and pray that somehow, these guys improve their games and don't end up on this list again next season. If so, yikes. 

The Pro Bowl Fantasy Draft

Ultimate Football Blog correspondents Jeremy Lambert and Steve Cook recently got together for a few beers, some Cards Against Humanity, and oh yeah....a little thing called the first annual Ultimate Football Blog Pro Bowl Fantasy Draft! You may have seen the Pro Bowl Draft on ESPN recently (if you watched that show, you may have problems), but that one sucked. This one is much better. If you aren't satisfied by the end of it, I promise I will give you a refund......


Jeremy Lambert: Last year the NFL changed the Pro Bowl from an AFC vs. NFC game to a Fantasy Draft format in order to make the game "more fan friendly." I don't see how letting Hall of Fame players select the teams makes the game "more fan friendly" since it's the same dull football game with nothing on the line, but whatever. Fellow Ultimate Football Blogger Steve Cook and I decided to do our own fantasy draft, but in podcast form. And we're going to do the same thing this year, but in written form.

We're using the initial Pro Bowl rosters (found here), not the ones that would force one of us to draft Andy Dalton or Matt Ryan or Drew Brees. Holy shit, I didn't realize that Matt Ryan and Drew Brees made the Pro Bowl until I actually had to look at the rosters to do this draft.  Derek Anderson should've made the Pro Bowl over those two losers. We're also working under the rules that this would be a competitive Pro Bowl game with actual scheming and coaching and not whatever sham the league produces on Sunday. And we’re only drafting starters because back-ups are overrated.

Anyway, I'll be selecting first due to the fact that I'm writing this intro and my Carolina Panthers actually won a playoff game, unlike Cook's Cincinatti Bengals. I'd go off of who won the head-to-head meeting between the two teams, BUT THEY FRIGGIN TIED!

With the first overall pick, I select.....DEVENSIVE END J.J. WATT!!

There are plenty of good offensive players in the league, but there's only one game-changing defensive player. I don't care who Cook has under center or who he has to protect that guy, I know Watt will make an impact on defense. I can also use him to in offensive goal line sets because all this man does is score touchdowns.

Steve Cook: Watt's a solid pick. An MVP candidate if you don't care what the team actually did. I like your thinking of going after game-changing defenders, in fact I like it so much that I'm going to pick somebody that's an even bigger game-changing defender. People don't even throw the ball to RICHARD SHERMAN's side of the field because they're so afraid of him picking them off. If for some reason your qb decides to try him, you're gonna have a bad time. Add in his leadership intangibles & he's the perfect top pick, spokesperson & team captain.

JL: Sherman was actually going to be my next pick as I aim to build a strong defense, but alas, he is now off the board. I'm going to stick with the same position though and go with Darrelle Revis. Don't get it twisted folks, Revis Island still exists. He's still a shutdown corner who can make the QB pay if they decide to throw his way. Tom Brady was so afraid of Revis that he demanded the Patriots sign him in the off-season so he didn't have to face him anymore. He also knew that signing Revis would make his relatively weak crop of WRs better because they'd be facing the best corner in the game at every practice. This is what I've heard anyway.

SC: Well certainly Tom Brady knows his cornerbacks. I've got Sherman to make the passing game difficult, but I'm also going to need to stop the run. What I need is a big fella inside that's going to stop running backs in their tracks, throw quarterbacks to the ground, make offensive linemen's lives living hells and pull out all the stops in order to win this one game. And I mean all the stops. I've never been a huge fan of NDAMUKONG SUH as a human being, but his ruthlessness is exactly what the doctor orders for a one game fight to the death.

JL: I've got my pass rusher and I've got corner. I'm not worried about stopping the run because who the hell runs the ball anymore? So now I'm going to the offensive side of the ball and I want the guy who is the undisputed best at his position. The guy who can't be matched up with. I want The Big Rob Gronkowski.

SC: Who runs the ball anymore? Teams that win playoff games, that's who. Winners. Not gonna lie, I was hoping Gonk would still be here at this spot, but instead I'll pick who I want running this show. Somebody who wins no matter what's at his disposal. Somebody who's seen it all and done it all. The person who I'd want quarterbacking my team if my life depended on it and I was only allowed to use Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers. Tom Brady, come on down. Brady vs. Manning is a viable debate in many areas, but not in the win-loss category.

JL: Let's not go crazy here. Tom Brady is a very good quarterback, but to say he could make the Chiefs wide receivers into something might be over-stating just how good he is. Going back to defense, this pick would be considered a homer pick if he wasn't the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a tackling machine. I'm taking my boy Luke Kuechly to shut down any of that dink and dunk passing that Cook's team might try.

SC: In fairness, Kuechly is the entire Panthers defense and putting anybody of any value with him would be pretty cool. Since Lambert's already indicated that he has no intention of running the ball, I'm going to need people that can get to the quarterback & help shut down that passing game before the ball even gets into Richard Sherman's hands. Kansas City's Justin Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks this year so he seems like a pretty solid choice for that.

JL: Or was it a ruse that I won't run the ball? Cook won't know until I actually take another offensive player, which isn't happening this round. I'm going to add to my defensive line and go with Marcell Darius. He led all defensive tackles with 10 sacks so it's pretty easy to see what I'm trying to do here on defense.

SC: I'm gonna get somebody to catch the ball from Tom Brady. Y'all know that I don't like the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Antonio Brown is just the kind of guy you want to have on your offense. He can't get less than five catches & he can't get less than fifty yards, it's unpossible. You can also run him around in reverses, have him catch punts after another failed drive by your opponent, and he'll kick punters in the face. You may notice that I'm encouraging vile behavior from my team.

JL: Kicking punters in the face shouldn't be illegal if they're dumb enough to try and tackle someone, but that's just me. Cook has Richard Sherman, and I want someone who isn't afraid of Sherman. I want someone who will get in Sherman's face and push him around a little. I want arguably the best receiver in the league. I want Dez Bryant.

SC: SOMEBODY SLAP MY MOMMA! I'm going to go back to the defensive side of the ball, and go back to the Legion of Boom. His name is Earl Thomas, he's a free safety, and just in case somebody thinks they're catching a long pass against my defense & taking it to the house, he's gonna cut that stuff out.

JL: Well Cook has Sherman and Thomas, but I'm not going to let him complete the Legion of Boom secondary because I'm taking Kam Chancellor. There are only two strong safeties on the board, and I want the better of the two. I'll also be using him to jump over the line of scrimmage to block any and all field goals.

SC: I seriously considered Chancellor with the last pick, but I figure T.J. Ward isn't that far off & I'll end up with him by default at the end, so it's all good. I'll finish off my secondary by taking my second corner, and fellow NFC West product Patrick Peterson seems like a good choice. What better way for him to prove he's better than Richard Sherman than to outplay him on the same team?

JL: I've got J.J. Watt on one side of the defensive line. I think I'll put Mario Williams on the other side of the defensive line. That's a duo that'll be in the backfield all day.

SC: Gotta have a U of L guy on my team, and when that U of L guy had 17 sacks this year for the Baltimore Ravens it's a pretty easy choice. Say hello to Elvis Dumervil!

JL: I'm going to round out my defensive line with Kyle Williams. Why? Because that gives me three Buffalo Bills (they led the NFL in sacks this season) and J.J. Watt on my defensive line. My game plan is very obvious at this point. I'm going to attack the QB and make him uncomfortable, leading to bad throws and easy interceptions.

SC: It's not the worst idea. But when's the last time we saw Tom Brady uncomfortable? Kansas City? Then they were on to Cincinnati & forget about it from there, Bills sacked him twice the one time he actually played against them. I'm gonna go defensive end & go back to the NFC West...Robert Quinn from the Rams had seven sacks & co-led the league with five forced fumbles. That could come in handy.

JL: Now that I've got my defensive line together, it's time to put together the rest of my defense. I'm going to get pressure on the QB, forcing him to make short throws. I already have Kuechly to make immediate tackles, but I want to make sure the rest of my outside linebackers can do the same. That's why I'm going with Connor Barwin.

SC: BTW, Quinn had 10.5 sacks. I misread his stat line, so I want to make sure I get it right in case he comes after me. I can afford to wait on my remaining defensive positions since Jeremy's picked his linemen & ILB, so I'll go over to running back. Lots of talented guys with good numbers here, so it's a tough choice, but for my money the most fun to watch is Beast Mode Marshawn Lynch. There aren't many more incredible plays than Lynch running over people all across the field, and he seems to average one of those per game.

JL: I'm going to finally flip things over to the offensive side of the ball. But I'm not going with a skill player. I'm going with a big guy up front to protect my QB, whomever that might be. I'm going to start with Tyron Smith.

SC: I'll be the first to admit that I'm not really an expert when it comes to offensive line play. Andrew Whitworth makes the Pro Bowl most years (not this year) and every time I see him on the field he's either getting blown up or committing a penalty. So I'm out of my depth here. What I do know is that Jerry Jones had to be convinced to pick Zack Martin over Johnny Foosball in the 2014 NFL Draft, and that pick probably won him Executive of the Year. A rookie Pro Bowl guard? Sounds good to me.

JL: I'm actually doing a little bit of research when it comes to my offensive line. Smith is a left tackle, which means I need a right tackle. Unfortunately Pro Bowl voters hate right tackles because every single tackle plays on the left side. Maybe I'll just leave the right side unprotected. Well, I was going to go with a tackle, but now I'll switch things up and go with a wide receiver. And I'm going with Calvin Johnson.

SC: Jordy Nelson had over 1,500 yards & 13 touchdowns. He'll be the most talented white wide receiver Brady's ever had.

JL: I'll go back to building my line and take Maurkice Pouncy.

SC: Joe Thomas has had to block for some of the most ridiculous quarterbacks in history during his time in Cleveland, and he's done it at a Pro Bowl level.

JL: Ryan Clady did a great job protecting Peyton Manning all season. I suspect he'll do the same for whomever is the QB for my team.

SC: The Cowboys have a bunch of talented young linemen, don't they? Second-year center Travis Frederick will do a good job snapping the ball & blocking.

JL: Marshal Yanda. My only reason is that someone has to be giving Joe Flacco enough time to launch the deep ball. I'm just assuming it's Yanda.

SC: It's not a bad theory. Trent Williams is 6'5 & 337 pounds, that's why he's going to be my second offensive tackle selected.

JL: I've got a big TE and two tall receivers on the outside. I need a burner in the slot. I need T.Y. Hilton.

SC: Gonna go ahead and wrap up my o-line with with Mike Iupati. 6'5, 331 pounds brother!

JL: Clay Matthews. Am I racist for going with an all-white line backer group? They have high motors.

SC: Julio Jones had some pretty awesome games this year on a pretty terrible team.

JL: I'll go with Josh Sitton because he'll be sittin the defensive lineman on their ass.

SC: Oh hey I need a tight end! Julius Thomas was very effective this year so I'll give him the nod over Graham, who was gone most of the time.

JL: I don't plan on my team having to punt the ball too often, but if we do, I certainly don't want the Bengals punter even though he probably got a lot of practice. So I'm gonna go with Pat McAfee.

SC: The Bengals punter is very good! Certainly deserves the spot. I still need an inside linebacker. C.J. Mosley was arguably the best rookie on defense this season and looks like he's going to be the next Ray Lewis with the Baltimore Ravens. 152 tackles sounds like a good number.

JL: You seem to be taking a lot of rookies there, Steve Cook. That inexperience could come back to haunt you under the bright Pro Bowl lights. Anyway, I'm going with Brent Grimes. I don't know how often the opposing QB went after him, but when they did, he made them pay more than any other corner in the game.

SC: I don't think rookies are worried about the Pro Bowl lights. In fact, they'll be happy to be there! The old people having motivation is what I'd worry about. Speaking of young studs, how have we gone this long without somebody taking the SHIT CLOGGER? If one player has benefitted from us talking them up, it's Dontari Poe. Just ask Dustin! Put him next to Suh and ain't no shit getting through my d-line.

JL: I was waiting for you to grab the SHIT CLOGGER. That's still one of my favorite things that ever came out of doing a podcast with you. It's no secret by now that I'm looking at building a ball hawking secondary and that's why I'm going with the man who led the NFL in interceptions, Glover Quin, as my strong safety.

SC: I feel like getting Cameron Wake at this point in the draft is great value. 11.5 sacks & he just leaves everything in his wake.

JL: It's time to finally take my running back. And I'm going with the man who was second in the league in rushing and first in the league in receiving yards by a running back. I'm going with Le'Veon Bell to keep Cook's defense on their toes.

SC: Is there anybody you want kicking the ball at the end of a game more than Adam Vinatieri? I don't plan on this being a 3 point game, but you never know.

JL: Sometimes games are won and lost on special teams. That's why I'm going with the best punt/kick returner in league history, Devin Hester, to make a big play for me.

SC: I'll be real, I have no idea who Matthew Slater is. But he plays for the Patriots and is related to A.C. Slater. Sounds like a solid selection to me!

JL: And with the final pick in the Ultimate Football Blog Pro Bowl Fantasy Draft. I'll take my quarterback. It's not too often that you see a quarterback go last in a fantasy draft, but this is all about strategy folks. You may have noticed that I selected Maurkice Pouncy as my center and Le'Veon Bell as my running back. True football fans know just how important the center to QB and QB to RB exchanges are. That's why I'm going with the man Pouncy and Bell are most familiar with. TONY ROMO!!!!! Just kidding, I'm taking Ben Roethlisberger.

Automatic Selections: T.J. Ward (FS to Team Cook), Kevin Huber (P to Team Cook), Stephen Gostkowski (K to Team Lambert) Darren Sproles (Returner to Team Cook), Justin Bethal (Utility to Team Lambert)

SC: Boy, I sure am surprised the Steeler homer went that direction...

Jeremy Lambert

QB: Ben Roethlisberger
RB: Le’Veon Bell
WR: Dez Bryant
WR: Calvin Johnson
WR: T.Y. Hilton
TE: Rob Gronkowski
G: Josh Sitton
G: Marshal Yanda
C: Maurkice Pouncy
T: Tyron Smith
T: Ryan Clady

DE: JJ Watt
DE: Mario Williams
DT: Marcell Darius
DT: Kyle Williams
MLB: Luke Kuechly
OLB: Connor Barwin
OLB: Clay Matthews
CB: Brent Grimes
CB: Darrelle Revis
SS: Kam Chancellor
FS: Glover Quin

P: Pat McAfee
K: Stephen Gostkowski
P/KR: Devin Hester
U: Justin Bethal

Steve Cook

QB: Tom Brady
RB: Marshawn Lynch
WR: Antonio Brown
WR: Jordy Nelson
WR: Julio Jones
TE: Julius Thomas
G: Zack Martin
G: Mike Iupati
C: Travis Frederick
T: Joe Thomas
T: Trent Williams

DE: Robert Quinn
DE: Cameron Wake
DT: Ndamukong Suh
DT: Dontari Poe
MLB: CJ Mosely
OLB: Justin Houston
OLB: Elvis Dumervil
CB: Richard Sherman
CB: Patrick Peterson
SS: T.J. Ward
FS: Earl Thomas

P: Kevin Huber
K: Adam Vinateiri
P/KR: Darren Sproles
U: Matthew Slater

NFL Weekend Hangover

My good buddy and NFL power rankings expert Jeremy Lambert has got a hangover again and let's face it, his misery is our pleasure......


Championship Weekend is in the books, which means it’s time for the second to last Hangover of the season. Stock up on alcohol now friends, because there’s only one more meaningful football game left this season.

Green Bay Defense/Special Teams on Drugs

The Green Bay Packers defense played well for most of the day on Sunday. But despite recording four interceptions against Russell Wilson, they made a bunch of mistakes.

First, on the fourth interception of the game, Morgan Burnett gave himself up instead of advancing the ball. The Packers were up 19-7 at the time with just five minutes remaining and it seemed like that interception would end the game, but Burnett forgot four important things: there was plenty of time left, the Seahawks had all three timeouts and the two minute warning, the Seahawks defense is really good, and Mike McCarthy had a terrible day calling plays. The Packers ended up losing four yards in three plays on the ensuing drive before being forced to punt, and, well, you know how the rest of the game went.

The only time an intercepting player should give himself up is when it leads to his teams offense trotting on the field and taking a knee. Otherwise, advance the ball and don’t be dumb enough to fumble it. Not only do you run time off the clock, but you also put your offense in a better position to score more points and really put the game away.

Second, what the hell were they doing on that two-point conversion? Wilson threw a 20-yard hail mary across the field and instead of batting it down, the two Green Bay players wished upon a floating football that nothing bad would happen. Instead Luke Wilson caught the ball in the endzone to put the Seahawks up by three, turning a potential game-winning field goal by Mason Crosby into a game-tying field goal.

Third, they completely fell asleep on the fake field that turned into a touchdown. A field goal would’ve made it a 16-3 game, not exactly breathing a lot of life into Seattle. Instead of rushing the field goal try, they should’ve played a safe coverage and shut down any trickery that Seattle came up with.

Finally, and this one is all on Brandon Bostick, YOU HAVE TO CATCH THE BALL ON AN ONSIDE KICK! I’m not even sure he was supposed to go after the ball considering he’s a back-up tight end with nine career catches and Jordy Nelson was right behind him, but if you’re going to go for the ball, YOU HAVE TO CATCH IT!

The Overtime Rule

The NFL changed the overtime rule a few years ago from “first team to score” to “complicated nonsense” and the rule still sucks. Seattle won the coin toss, scored a touchdown, and soon-to-be-league-MVP Aaron Rodgers could do nothing but watch as the Seahawks celebrated their victory. It sure would’ve been nice if he had a chance to match what Seattle did. Now some people will say, “the defense should make a stop.” And maybe they should. But if they don’t maybe the opposing defense should be forced to make a stop as well. NFL OT comes down to a coin toss, and if you don’t believe that, you’d probably be stupid enough to give the other team the ball if you won the toss.

I’m not a fan of the college football OT, but at least both teams get a chance to possess the ball. In every other major sport, both teams get a fair chance at possession before the game is decided. The NFL rules are equivalent to NBA changing the overtime rules to say, “the team with the leading scorer in the game will get the ball first. If they hit a three or two foul shots, they win. But if they only get a two-point field goal, the other team has a chance to match or win with a three or two foul shots. If they match, the next team that scores wins.” That’s stupid.

How simple is it to just give both teams an equal amount of possessions? Seattle scored a touchdown, so Green Bay should’ve had a chance to score a touchdown. If they didn’t, they lose. But if they did, Seattle would get the ball back. If they scored a field goal, Green Bay would have a chance to match and extend the game or win with a touchdown. The only way a game could end without the other team getting an offensive possession is if the defense scores. This could actually lead to more teams choosing to put their defense on the field first even if they win the coin toss. WHY IS THIS SO HARD?!?!?! (phrasing).

Seattle Defense Dominant

Giving up 22 points doesn’t seem like the sign of a dominant defense, but this game could’ve been a lot worse if Seattle’s defense sucked. The Seattle offense turned the ball over five times and their only touchdown through three quarters came on a fake field goal. Green Bay spent the entire first half on the Seattle side of the field and only came up with 16 points. Richard Sherman picked off Aaron Rodgers in the endzone on the first drive of the game and, aside from a broken play where Green Bay desperately needed yards to set-up Crosby’s potential game-tying field goal, Rodgers never looked Sherman’s way again. This despite the fact that Sherman was playing with one arm for most of the fourth quarter.

Seattle’s defense scared Mike McCarthy. He didn’t go for it on fourth-and-one on the Seattle 1 on two separate occasions for no other reason than he was afraid of not putting points on the board. Even though the safest play in the world is a dive over the pile on the goal line (remember, once the ball breaks the plane, you can fumble it without a worry), McCarthy wouldn’t go for it because he feared Seattle.

Look at the numbers for Rodgers. 19/34 for 178 yards and two interceptions. If Russell Wilson didn’t put up equally bad numbers and we all haven’t come to expect this from Seattle’s defense, we’d be killing Rodgers today. Seattle didn’t win this game because Green Bay made a bunch of mistakes (although that helped) or because the OT rules are dumb (that helped too). They won because they have the best defense in the league and their reputation alone worries players and coaches.

New England Won, Moving On

Even though the Colts were only down 10 at the half, no one really thought they had a chance. The Colts weren’t good against good teams all season. They were fortunate in the playoffs to play Andy Dalton and the Bengals and Cold Weather Peyton Manning and the Broncos. On Sunday they played the best team in the league during the regular season and the best post-season QB in league history.

The Patriots were the better team. They dominated every aspect of the game en route to another Super Bowl appearance. The NFC Championship Game had everything you could want in a football game. The AFC Championship Game was better off not being played.

And I don’t care if they deflated the ball. The Colts weren’t winning the game. You don’t deflate a ball and still win 45-7. You out-play and out-coach the other team so bad that someone has to come up with a wacky theory as to how it happened.


You can see more of Jeremy's excellent writing right here.